The Principal
by Jax1
Summary: A simplistic appropriation of 1984. Please R & R


Okay, this is an appropriation of George Orwell's 1984 to a children's text. It was actually an English paper I had to write, but I thought I'd post it anyways. If you ever want to use it, please ask.  
  


*****  


  
Winston lifted his hand to hide the enormous yawn spreading across his face. He felt as though he was trapped in a room of unfriendly strangers, all of whom were waiting for him to make a tiny mistake. Tilting his head to one side, he thought about the situation. It was him against the world. Winston almost smiled. He liked that; it made him feel strong, and had a certain ring of danger to it.  
  
And yes, danger was the right word to use. They were there, always watching him and the others. There was never a moment's peace. Even when they were allowed to take a break, they were still being watched. Winston sighed. He looked down, and with a pencil gripped tightly in his fist, tried to focus on his work.  
  
It was too hard, and before long, another huge yawn came forth. This time, he didn't bother trying to cover it. Mrs. O'Brien's head whipped up. She shot him a cold glance, and he shivered in his seat.  
  
His bravado had all but disappeared, leaving him at the mercy of his teacher. He couldn't believe it. What had he done to make him deserve this treatment? He was only an innocent eight year old, after all. How could his mum and dad let him come to a place where they PUNISHED little kids?   
  
Mrs. O'Brien was now standing behind his desk telling him to get back to work. Sure, she certainly was evil, but things got a lot worse than her. When she got angry, she made the kids sit in the corner, or stay inside at play time. However, this was nothing compared to The Principal. He kept his eye on everything and everyone. Winston had heard a bigger kid say that when someone was in a lot of trouble, they were sent to the Office. After that, they were never seen in the school again.  
  
Chewing on the end of his pencil, Winston tried to figure out his sums. He decided that it was hopeless; there was no way in the world that he'd be able to answer any of the questions. Instead, after he'd made sure that no one was looking, he drew a picture of the sun in the top corner. He had to admit, it looked pretty good. Soon, his page was covered with drawings of trees, houses and little stick people with their little stick pet doggies.  
  
Winston! What do you think you are doing!?  
  
Oops. Now he'd done it. All the other kids turned to look at him. He could feel his face turning red. As he apologised to Mrs. O'Brien, he noticed that a girl in the front row was nodding solemnly towards the teacher and shaking her head every time he spoke. Winston began to fume. Teacher's Pet!   
  
Surprisingly, after Mrs. O'Brien had calmed down, the girl, Julia, spun around in her seat, and quickly winked at Winston before turning back again. Winston was amazed. Maybe he had someone else on his team. He would have to talk to her later. Together, they would find a way to escape from this school. They would show The Principal that he couldn't trap kids in stuffy rooms, and tell them what to do. It was time to get plotting.  
  
Winston and Julia had a plan. Instead of going to class, they would hide in the playground until the end of the day. Then, they would go home, as if nothing had happened.  
  
When the bell sounded for the end of recess, they crept off slowly. Gradually, they began to move faster, and finally, they sprinted to the jungle gym, and sat in the dark tube where no one could find them. They were filled with excitement. They had done it! They had carried out the bravest thing a student could do, and no one had seen them.  
  
The next day, they tried again. Just when they thought they were safe, a small face peeked into the tube. Winston, Julia, The Principal wants to see you.  
  
Winston glared at the face. He and Julia had no choice but to make their way toward the dreaded head of the school.  
  
Winston was forced to wait outside while Julia was taken into the Office. He felt sorry for the poor girl. Nervously, he wondered what could be happening in there. He listened hard for Julia's screams, but he couldn't hear anything. He figured that the room must be sound-proofed. Terrified, he sat and waited for his turn. He was shaking so much that he could have sworn that the bench was shaking with him.  
  
Finally, the door opened. Julia didn't look at him, and instead ran back to class. Winston was led into the room.  
  
So, you must be Winston.  
  
The Principal was smiling, but Winston thought he looked more like a shark. A hungry shark laughing at the tiny sardine it was about eat.  
  
Winston, do you know what two plus two equals?  
  
Winston hated maths, but he guessed anyway. It turned out that five was not the correct answer.  
  
You see Winston, if you had been in class yesterday, you might have known. You missed out on learning some very important things. Why did you do it? You must have known that it was wrong to skip class. Why?  
  
The word echoed around Winston's head. Over and over, and faster and faster. What would the Principal do? What did he keep hidden in those drawers of his? His smile was growing wider, and Winston was cold with fear. What could he say except, It was Julia's fault! It was her idea!  
  
Ah, but Winston, Julia said that it was _your_ idea.  
  
She did? Now Winston was angry. It wasn't his idea, they had done it together. They were both in trouble. That was when it struck him. He'd just blamed Julia! He felt incredibly guilty. Winston didn't think he could ever look her in the eye again. Somehow, he doubted that they'd ever be good friends. The Principal was talking again, and he forced himself to listen.  
  
Winston, I don't think you'll ever do something like this again, so this time, I won't punish you. Now, two plus two equals four. Do you remember?  
  
Winston was quick to nod. Yes sir. Two plus two equals fi - four.  
  
The Principal didn't look convinced. One more time, what does two plus two equal?  
  
  
  
The Principal reached inside his drawer. Wait a minute! Winston began to panic. He thought he wasn't going to be punished! Wincing, he half-closed his eyes as The Principal drew out a...lollipop.  
  
Here you go, my boy. Now run off to class, and don't get into trouble again.  
  
Winston stood in the hallway outside the Office. He thought over what had taken placed carefully. Humming to himself, he placed his cherry-flavoured lollipop in his mouth. He loved The Principal.  
  
*****  
  
Thanks for reading, please R & R.  
  
Jax

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